I took a stroll with Fukuhara to the Ginza 2-chome crossing. The area adjacent to it symbolizes the wave of newly opened or renovated upscale brand stores. Among them are four overseas establishments, including the Chanel Ginza building, designed by architect Peter Mario.

As we looked at the display window of the Bulgari Ginza Tower, which opened last autumn, Fukuhara said, "It's good to have a nice atmosphere like this, isn't it?"

Next door stands stationer Ito-ya, which has been in business for more than 100 years. In Ginza, cutting-edge fashion coexists with tradition.

"When I was in charge of overseas markets, a senior French magazine editor we had invited to Japan said, 'What a human-centered town Tokyo is!' The street was clustered with offices, a barber shop, a bookstore and so on. He wanted to say he didn't feel bored when looking at them, and that Tokyo was a city that enabled visitors to feel human emotions directly," Fukuhara said.

Tokyo's remaining chaotic aspects are precisely what give it that human vibrancy and are part of the city's identity, and perhaps its culture as well.

Ginza’s origin date back to a town of brick buildings promoted by the then Tokyo-fu (prefecture) government and designed British architect Thomas Waters in the wake of a devastating fire in 1872. However, it was the merchants who arrived from all over the country who fueled the area's development.

"Ginza is certainly a good model for public-private partnerships. It may be a great mix of parties, but it has retained its spirit of autonomy and its tendency to warmly welcome incoming stores. Therefore, even though its appearance has continued to evolve with the times, Ginza has survived for more than 130 years," Fukuhara commented.

The same can be said of Ginza as a cultural hub. This is because Ginza contains Japan's top gallery district, with privately-held facilities such as the Shiseido Gallery, with a history of about 90 years, and Oji Hall.

We visited Tokyo Gallery in Ginza 8-chome. An established gallery that blazed the postwar art trail in the nation, in 2002 it was also among the first to set up a center in Beijing, where there is growing craze for contemporary art.

A conversation with gallery representative Hozu Yamamoto turned to differences between China and Japan.

"Compared with Tokyo, Beijing plans too much," Fukuhara said. In the Chinese capital, the alleyways that once evoked feelings of rustic beauty have been demolished as uniformity has advanced. Ginza has large thoroughfares and a wide variety of unique stores out of plain view, giving it depth and versatility.

“To achieve what took Japan 100 years to accomplish, China has advanced in a single burst, and is bypassing the modern age,” Yamamoto said.

The gallery representative recounted an interesting theory on the sushi known as California Roll, which is popular in the United States. "When foreigners who have eaten it come to Japan, they realize the real thing is totally different, and spread this information when talking about their travels," Yamamoto said. "When culture is easily accessible from the outside, and has great depth, culture most likely then begins to become widespread."

However, Yamamoto has concerns about Japan. "In China, public policy has followed changes in the art market. Art exhibitions in South Korea also have received support from the government there. My worry is whether Tokyo will be able to maintain its presence," he said.

In Japan, there is no denying the feeling that public policy is not in sync with the efforts of the private sector. Having said that, if the government pushed a standardized direction, this could destroy diversity in much the same way as redevelopment has eliminated alleyways.

Back at the Shiseido head office, I asked Fukuhara to expound further on this point. He spoke frankly on the division of roles between the public and private sectors. "When things are going well for the private sector, the government should provide encouragement without giving itself credit."

Amid worldwide competition among cities, however, "if things continue here as they have been doing so, we'll have no punch." He added, "In effect, we have a wide range of cultures. But this image isn't being properly communicated. We need to foster those among the younger generation who can take on the role of producer in developing this image."

However, in doing so, Fukuhara flagged what he considers to be an important point. "Unlike the 20th century, we are no longer in an age where we imitate other countries. Self-driven efforts are needed for us to creatively think of what Japan is, and what Tokyo is."

Taking a fresh look at what is right beneath our noses could be a good starting point in boosting our ability to spread our culture.

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